Malkmus knew fellow Pavement songwriter Scott Kannberg (aka Spiral Stairs), of the Preston School of Industry, since childhood in Stockton, California. Malkmus attended the University of Virginia, where his father is also an alumnus. While at UVA, he also met Bob Nastanovich, another member of Pavement.
Malkmus currently resides in Portland, Oregon with his partner, artist Jessica Jackson Hutchins. In 2005, Hutchins gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Lottie.
In 2008 Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks released the album, Real Emotional Trash — the group’s first album with new drummer Janet Weiss from Sleater-Kinney. In 2020, Stephen released Traditional Techniques. Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the album as "an amiably trippy and decisively mellow psych-folk adventure."
Troubbble
Stephen Malkmus Lyrics
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I frequently find
There's no proof of halos
Strapped in your mind
The world passes by in a flash
From the birth of the earth
To the curse of your desperate math
We spell troubbble
Long lasting sting
Literal swine drop
If he couldn't stand you
He's a bona fide dying tribe
The world passes by in a flash
>from the birth of the earth
To the curse of your desperate math
We spell troubbble
T are o you - be be be l e
In Troubbble, Stephen Malkmus seems to be exploring the fleeting nature of life and how it can be challenging to find proof of anything truly meaningful or everlasting. He starts off by acknowledging his sadness and how he often can't find evidence of "halos" - possibly a reference to the idea of divinity or spiritual purity. He then goes on to describe our world passing by in a flash, from the birth of the earth to the "curse" of our own desperate attempts to make sense of it all. The phrase "we spell troubbble" could be interpreted in a few different ways - it could be a reference to the difficulties of life, or perhaps an acknowledgement of how challenging it can be to communicate our experiences to others. Ultimately, the song seems to reflect on the idea that life is full of trouble, and yet we continue to try our best to make sense of it all.
Line by Line Meaning
Sad enough
It is quite unfortunate
I frequently find
I often come across
There's no proof of halos
There is no evidence of divine beings
Strapped in your mind
Trapped in your thoughts
The world passes by in a flash
Life goes by quickly
From the birth of the earth
Starting from the beginning of time
To the curse of your desperate math
To the frustration of trying to solve problems
We spell troubbble
We bring forth trouble
Long lasting sting
A painful feeling that lasts
Literal swine drop
Actual droppings from a pig
If he couldn't stand you
If he didn't like you
He's a bona fide dying tribe
He is a genuine and dying group of people
T are o you - be be be l e
Spelling out trouble phonetically
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: STEPHEN MALKMUS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind